Recycled Asphalt Product
R.A.P
Asphalt pavement is also 100% recyclable and can be crushed down into various sizes for reuse. The end product: Recycled Asphalt Product, or R.A.P. as it is called in the asphalt paving industry.
Recycled asphalt is exactly what it sounds like – asphalt pavement material that has been removed from paved surfaces like parking lots, driveways, and roads, and reprocessed to be used again in new paving installations.
It can then be resold as a sustainable, relatively cheap alternative to driveway gravel - or it can even be reused to make new hot mix asphalt paving material.
Asphalt Millings is recycled asphalt pavement that has been crushed using a milling machine--typically when roads are being repaved--into sizes comparable to gravel.
Recycled Asphalt is essentially the same crushed material, though it may be screened or crushed down into even smaller sizes than the millings - it will all depend on where you get it from and the asphalt plant that processed the recycled material.
For residential applications, recycled asphalt/millings are most commonly used in driveways and private roads- though homeowners have found the product useful for various projects like patios, playgrounds, parking lots/ large parking areas, fire pit areas, as well as basketball and tennis courts. It also works great under sheds, barns, and metal buildings. It is cost effective compared to hot asphalt.
For commercial applications, the RAP can be used as an effective base for sidewalks, for bike paths, walking trails, as road ballast, as road or construction filler, or as a paving material with the help of an asphalt paver or a compactor/roller.
The benefits of R.A.P.
- It is often less expensive than most driveway and walkway gravels and hot asphalt.
- It minimizes the likelihood of mud forming and holds up well in the rain and snow.
- It will kick up less dust than gravel/dirt when driving on it.
- It actually hardens over time as it is exposed to the heat and compacts together tightly.
- It also makes for a great base should you choose to lay gravel on top or pave over it with a layer of hot-mix asphalt later on.